In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in lukewarm water; set aside for a few minutes until foamy.

Whisk oil into yeast, then beat eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt.

Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.

Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size.

Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

To weave a 4-braided round loaf, take half the dough and divide it into 4 equal balls. Use your hands to roll out each ball into a strand about 18 inches long.

Arrange the 4 ropes into a tic-tac-toe board (#), with the first horizontal strand over then under the vertical ones and the second horizontal strand under then over them (a.k.a. a weave). Keep the center of the board as tight as possible.

Pick any rope that comes from under the center and jump it over its neighbor to the right. Continue clockwise with the rest of the “under ropes.”

Then switch directions counterclockwise, again jumping the under ropes over their neighbors, but this time to the left. Continue until you run out of rope. Tuck the remaining strands under the dough to form a round.

Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Let rise another hour. (Or, at this point—between the second and third rise—you can freeze the dough instead. Remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.)

To bake, preheat oven to 375°F and brush loaves with another coat of egg wash. Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Do not overbake! Cool loaves on a rack. Eat with lots of good butter and salt.